Download Tango like a `Tanguero`: 5 little tips to help a

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Tango like a ‘Tanguero’:
5 little tips to help a classical flautist
perform tango music
By Jessica Quiñones
Many classical players first discover the beauty and allure of tango music through Astor Piazzolla’s
repertoire written specifically for flute. My own first encounter with tango music was The Histoire Du
Tango scored for flute and guitar. Upon a first hearing of it I was enchanted by the way that Piazzolla uses
colourful melodies, instrumental drumming, and rhythmic accentuation which form part of his personal
Tango Nuevo1 style.
Living in the vibrant city of Buenos Aires doing field work for a PhD in tango music has led me to
expand the way that I approach playing this genre. I am hoping that this miniature guide will serve to
inspire you to learn more about tangueros2, tango music and its unique performance style to help enhance
any future flute performances.
Tip 1: Let’s contextualise the flute in tango as part of a bigger picture...
To exemplify the acceptance of tango on an international platform, the art form resurges as an important
commodity for worldwide culture. In 2009 the genre, including its music, lyrics, and dance were inscribed
on the UNESCO Representative List as an ‘Intangible Cultural to the Heritage of Humanity’. In a similar
form of acceptance from the western classical community, it has been twenty years since Astor Piazzolla’s
death and his flute compositions have been recorded and released on albums by musicians worldwide.
Both his 1986 Histoire Du Tango and his 1987 6 Tango-Etudes pour flûte seule have quickly entered the flute
repertoire and have become accepted as ‘art music’ despite the associations with tango as the core of their
musical style.
Considering that tango history spans roughly a century, and yet the Boehm system of flute is older than
the tango genre itself, we can see that the flute’s tradition in tango performance is a relatively new idiom
in the wider history of flute performance practice. When compared to classical and baroque styles, the
traditions for playing tango music have not been institutionalised by western players in the same way that
say a reading of Mozart or Poulenc might be.
One of Argentina’s renowned tango flautists, Paulina Fain in a 2009 interview, has said that flute has a
‘lost place in tango’ 3 while flautist and historian Alejandro Martino writes that to think that Astor
Piazzolla was the only one who inspired tango flute would be a very close minded approach to
contextualize the flute in tango.4 The role of the flute in tango is unique in that it has not found a similar
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Tango infused with classical and jazz idioms, including the use of new instrumentation and harmonic structures.
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A name for a tango aficionado, or anyone who practices the genre.
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Fain, Paulina. Workshop: The Musical Language of the Tango. Hochschule für Musik, Wuppertal, Germany, 2009.
Brunelli, Omar Garcia, ed. Estudios Sobre La Obra De Astor Piazzolla. Buenos Aires: Gourmet Musical Ediciones,
2008, 89.
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© 2011, J. Quiñones
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course in tango history that can be compared to other instruments of the tango sound, such as the violin
or the bandoneon. At the turn of the 20th century, flute playing in Buenos Aires was present in military
bands and followed a trajectory of a tradition similar to Western European history. Despite a similar path
to begin, the transverse flute only made initial appearances in tango roughly between the years 1905 to
1920.
The original tango ensembles were an orquesta típica criolla, a small trio (terceto) that was formed of a violin,
flute (or clarinet) and a guitar (or bandoneon). Using habanera rhythms, the groups played lively tangos,
milongas and valses in bordellos. Fain suggests that the flute, and the violin in the original tercetos were used
because three in an ensemble were inexpensive to hire. It was easy for these musicians to move quickly if
the establishments in which they were playing were raided by the police.5 It is also noted that these
musicians were not paid very well for each gig, so they played at many venues in one night’s work. A
portable instrument such as the flute was easy to transport from establishment to establishment.
After the tango made an initial appearance in Paris in 1911, it slowly gained popularity and acceptance
from the middle and upper classes who started to claim it as ‘Argentinean’. The venues in which tango
music was played became more reputable. The flautist (who was often employed to play melodic lines)
was replaced by multiple bandoneonistas,6 because these musicians could play both the rhythm and melodic
musical sections at one time. A string section was added because the musicians were playing in larger
spaces and the flute was simply not loud enough for larger venues hosting tango dances.
The flute would not enter the traditional ensembles with the same popularity of the early tercetos until
Piazzolla incorporated it into the tango orchestra of his only opera Maria de Buenos Aires (1968). He added
flute to Conjunto 9 (or Conjunto Electronico) for a brief period in the 1970’s, but it was not until the 1980’s
that his flute compositions the 6 Etudes por Flûte Seule and Histoire du Tango were composed.
As the flute was not often included in traditional orquesta típicas7 after its earlier appearances of the fin de
siècle, what inspired Piazzolla to compose flute pieces in the 1980’s? The music he performed with his New
Tango Sextet consisted of cello, double bass, piano, guitar, and two bandoneons, so why write these flute
compositions?
Despite recent interviews with tango musicians, and trips to Buenos Aires and Mar de Plata8 to visit
archives, one can still only speculate as to why he composed these pieces. A 2010 interview with arranger
and scholar Marcelo Costas in Buenos Aires suggests that the flute pieces were written because Piazzolla
wanted to ‘carry on his legacy of tango to other instruments’. He suggests that Piazzolla knew his health
was failing, so he chose flute as one of the instruments to feature his music, as it is a popular instrument
worldwide.9 Despite the mystery surrounding these pieces, these are among the most popular tango flute
compositions of the 20th century because they have become established in the western flute repertoire.
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Fain, 2009.
The name of someone who plays the bandoneón. The bandoneón is a relative to the accordion and was invented
to replace the harmonium in churches as it was a cheaper substitute. It is speculated that it made its way from
Germany to Buenos Aires in the late 1800’s by sailors arriving in the port city. For more on the history of
bandoneon see Zucchi, Oscar. El Tango, El Bandoneon Y Sus Interpretes. 1st ed. Buenos Aires: Corregidor, 1998.
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This is the name for a traditional tango ensemble. This usually comprises a string section (with violins, viola, and
cello), a bandoneón section (with 3 or more bandoneons), and a rhythmic section (with piano, and double bass).
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Six hours south from Buenos Aires by vehicle is Mar De Plata, the birthplace of Piazzolla in 1921.
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Costas, Marcelo. Interview, La Paz Cafe, Buenos Aires, 12, August 2010.
© 2011, J. Quiñones
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Tip 2: Symbolic associations are not all about fedoras, fishnets and roses
Scholars disagree to the exact origins of tango, but there has always been the sentiment that the genre is a
symbolic representation of many things. For westerners, it has been a symbol for passion, sexual tension
and has an erotic quality, which according to musicologist Michael Goertzen, is one of the main
attractions for outsiders to be attracted to this iconic genre.10 As a westerner approaching the tango, I
think that it would be useful to understand a bit about the symbolism that can be associated with the
genre. My experience doing field work in in Buenos Aires have led me to ponder its affiliations with class,
gender roles, Mufarse,11 sexual struggle, and Argentine national identity.
I have listed some books that you might find interesting on these symbolic references, as many are widely
available through your local library. These will serve as a platform for your understanding of tango music
and the other things associated with it you might not have realised. After all, isn’t the performance of any
genre greatly enhanced when the reasons behind the music become more familiar?
 Azzi, Maria Susana and Collier, Simon. Le Grand Tango: The Life and Music of Astor Piazzolla:
Oxford University Press, USA, 2000.
 Collier, Simon. Tango! , edited by Simon Collier, et al. London: Thames and Hudson, 1995.
 Ferris-Thompson, Robert. Tango: The Art History of Love. New York City: Pantheon, 2005.
 Gorin, Natalio. Astor Piazzolla: A Memoir. Portland: Amadeus Press, 2001.
 Savigliano, Marta E. Tango and the Political Economy of Passion. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press,
1995.
 Taylor, Julie. Paper Tangos. Durham and London: Duke University Press, 1998.
Tip 3: Understand how the tango style is disseminated for greater freedom of your
performance
Since the mid 1980’s various music schools in Buenos Aires have emerged with a department specifically
devoted to teach ‘tango’. Before this, orquesta típicas were the channel in which aspiring tango musicians
trained. If one wanted to play, they would need to be employed by one of the orquestas and learn by aural
transmission form the other instrumentalists in the ensemble. Every orchestra had a different style of
performing rhythm, harmony and melody that would become a trademark of their unique sound.
Many tango singers in the past such as Carlos Gardel did not read music and instead sang what felt
‘right’.12 In a similar tradition, when playing tangos that are ‘standards of the repertoire’ i.e. the great tango
classics, many instrumentalists perform from memory and improvise within the standard melody. A
common term associated with this style of performance is a la parilla, which literally means ‘to the grill’.
If you can’t venture to Buenos Aires for tango music lessons, I would recommend an excellent flute
manual (and the only one) published in English as a starting point. Paulina Fain is one of Argentina’s
most famous flautistas tangueras, and is an expert in her field.
 Paulina Fain’s Método de la Flauta en El Tango, Ricordi Publishing, 2010
See Goertzen, Chris, and Maria Susana Azzi. "Globalization and the Tango." Yearbook for Traditional Music, 31
(1999): 67-76.
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Julie Taylor, an American who lived in Argentina for many years, thinks that tango reflects the state of Mufarse,
which is a national sentiment of ‘bitter introspection’. See her listed book in this article to learn more.
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For more on this idea see the work by Martin Kutnowski: "Instrumental Rubato and Phrase Structure in Astor
Piazzolla’s Music." Latin American Music Review 23, no. 1 (2002): 106-13.
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© 2011, J. Quiñones
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Tip 4: The great score debate
The first problem I encountered in my early days of performing tango was ‘where do I find scores?’ In
contrast to classical music where the text is the ‘music’ to be followed as the ‘ultimate idea’ of what a
composer wants, in tango, scores are flexible. They should be arranged to suit your instrumentation
because in tango performance practice, arrangers are the ultimate ‘editors’.
One example of this philosophy in the tango world was apparent when I ventured to the Piazzolla archive
in Mar De Plata. Upon meeting the head archivist I asked ‘So who comes to visit the archive? Do you
have many Argentine musicians sourcing scores here?’ His response: ‘Jessica, it is only westerners who
come looking for scores. Tango players arrange their own.’ I mention this story because it exemplifies the
notion that as westerners we are often attached to a score as the ‘authentic’ way to play.
In published scores for ‘export’, editors are employed by publishing houses to make, in my opinion,
something ‘authentic’ for a western player to read. Also, if you watch old recorded live performances of
tangueros, very few players in tango ensembles used music scores, which lead the music to come across as
more improvisatory.
Outside Argentina it is harder to find arrangements. If you do, they are very expensive and not written for
flute specifically. However, you still can find arrangers who are selling their scores for western players if
you are more comfortable reading a pre-arranged score:
 See this site for a full list of commercial publishers:
http://www.inorg.chem.ethz.ch/tango/partit/scores.html#SECTION00020000000000000000
Places to find free tango music scores:
 This website allows you to access many scores for free as well as provides biographies about
tango musicians: http://www.todotango.com/English/Home.aspx
 Tango Jam is a non profit organisation to spread tango music through community events:
http://www.tangojam.com/index.php?option=com_docman&Itemid=73&lang=en
 Paulina Fain also has a helpful website which has classic tango accompaniments for practice in
improvisation and a tango music album for immediate download:
http://www.paulinafain.com.ar/material_didactico_paulina_fain.html
Tip 5: Tango musical techniques are very different than classical techniques
Once you have a tango arrangement/score/melody that you would like to play, it might help to find a
recording of that tango played by different tango orchestras. Listening to different interpretations of one
song will help you become familiar with the different range of techniques used to inspire your own
playing. Various orquesta típicas to become inspired by include Di Sarli, Canaro, D’Arienzo, Pugliese, and
of course, Piazzolla.
Listening to tango singers throughout tango’s history are a fast way to pick up on tango improvisation
and how the melody is carried in relation to the bassline. Vocalists with varying styles are Carlos Gardel,
Julio Sosa, Rosita Quiroga, and Robert Goyenoche. Listening will also help you understand different ways
to treat the rhythmic and melodic sections in tango. Why? Because the melody and the rhythmic sections
are treated very differently, they each have their own unique flavour of performance style.
For example, the melodic changes you might encounter when comparing the notation on a score to the
actual performance of a tanguero might include the addition of:
© 2011, J. Quiñones
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Pauses within the bar lines
Repeated notes
Turns
Trills/ Mordents
Neighbour tones
Glissandos
Articulation changes
Octave changes
Highlighting of certain notes by changing rhythms
Similarly, changes that are added by tangueros when playing rhythmic sections might include:
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Detailed accentuation patterns
Shadow effects of accented notes
Vibrato use limited to longer notes
Semi-slurred articulations added
Arrastres- ‘dragging’
Pitch bends
Glissandos
If you are curious to learn tango style and how the rhythm and melody function in tango music, one book
in particular will help you to do this, as it has been translated into English:
 Salgan, Horacio. Tango Course. Translated by Will Genz and Marisa Hurtado. 2 ed. Buenos Aires,
2001.
In conclusion, these tips are not to serve as an all inclusive approach to the tango genre. To limit
interpretation would confine the creative process and the possibilities for the many influences of this rich
music. Instead, I hope a new reading of this flute music is enhanced as the genre of tango continues to be
reborn worldwide.
About the author: Acclaimed for her beautiful tone and detailed musicianship, American flautist
Jessica Quiñones has performed recitals and given flute classes in Europe, The Middle East, and the
Americas. She holds flute performance degrees from The Royal Scottish Academy of Music in
Glasgow and The University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music in the USA.
While growing up in the desert sunshine of the colourful American Southwest, the factors of the bilingual environment of New Mexico and her Puerto Rican heritage influenced her flute playing from
an early age. Embracing her Latin roots, Ms. Quiñones is currently undertaking a PhD in flute
performance at the University of Huddersfield, where she has received full funding to explore Astor
Piazzolla's tango flute music. She currently resides between England and Buenos Aires. Her hobbies
include dancing the tango, studying Expressionist art, Ashtanga yoga and finding the perfect
chocolate brownie recipe.
For more information:
Web: www.JQflute.com
Email: [email protected]
© 2011, J. Quiñones